sarge56

My daughter's sweet, sweet lovable 8-yr old black lab is dying of a very aggressive cancer. My daughter thinks they will have to put him down this week.

My 4-yr old granddaughter is attached to this dog at the hip. They are always together. The dog adores her. Sleeps on her bed with her, sits next to her when she's in the beanbag chair watching Higgly Town Heroes.

Can anyone recommend an age-appropriate book that will help ease her through this loss? Or how to tell her that Kobe is going to heaven and she won't see him any more?

This is going to be a heartbreaker. Mom has told DG that puppy is sick, but nothing else. I did buy a kit today so that they can make a pawprint in plaster before he goes.

ANY advice or recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks all!

Paula

sarge56

Sorry. Meant to post this in the lounge and when I tried to delete, it wouldn't.

Sorry folks. I'll look for answers in the Lounge.

Rich

Ol' Yeller ?

EuroQueen

Marley and Me

AnnRiley

Black beauty, not a dog, but a good read.


All creatures great & small, about a vet in Yorkshire before war. some very nice animal stories to give one hope.

travelbuff

How about making her own book to look at as the years go by......

Carp

Hi,
You could try to create your own board book using this site. They are cute books and great to work with....I am ordering a book for my 1 year old with pics of her first year's trips!

http://mycustomstory.com/shop/

ejcrowe

Not sure if it's still in print, but there's a lovely book called Dog Heaven that's a picture book and good for this situation. (For you cat lovers, there's also a Cat Heaven book)

mari808

www.petloss.com/poems/maingrp/rainbowb.htm

"Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

"When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable..."

Hope I got the right URL. That's the start of the poem--it goes on to say that that pet will be waiting for the day it sees its person again.

The poem's web page has a beautiful blue sky background and a rainbow.

diddl_maus

Here are a few suggestions. They are picture books meant for young children. Hope this helps.



Dog Heaven by Cynthia Rylant
This is a wonderfully written and delightfully illustrated book for kids and adults alike who may be grieving the loss of a beloved dog. The illustrations are charming, and the sentiments are great. Here there are fields to run in, soft beds (made of clouds turned inside out) and "angel children", because "God knows that dogs love children more than anything else in the world".


Jim’s dog Muffins by Miriam Cohen
When Jim's dog is killed, the other first graders experience with him his natural reactions to death.

Saying goodbye to Lulu by Corinne Demas
A young girl and her lovable, spunky dog, Lulu, are faithful companions from the very start. They enjoy mucking in streams, playing ball, and exploring together. As Lulu ages and starts to slow down, they are unable to do all the things the pair loved to do together. When the time comes to say goodbye to Lulu, the girl is unable to do so. How do you honor a loved one and still move on with your life?

TheTenth Good Thing About Barney by Judith Viorst
Everyone who is a parent and has pets will eventually be faced with the sad reality of their child experiencing the death of a beloved pet. The Tenth Good Thing About Barney not only helps your child identify his feelings and accept the inevitable-but explains the ritual of death through a funeral.

swblouisiana

Hi Paula--

We just lost our 13 yr old lab in December. I thought my kids would fall apart, but they took it more in stride than I expected. Every now and then the three year old will ask me where she went, why did she have to die, if she'll come back. I didn't read them a book but talked about where she went, that she lived a good life, that they were safe (what most four year olds are really worried about), that dogs don't live as long as we do (they wanted to be reassured about mom and dad and soon connected it to their 90+ year old great-grandmother). Soon thereafter they were asking about a "replacement." They miss her but it wasn't the tragic event I thought it would be for them. I would advise your daughter to talk about it, let her tell the dog goodbye, and remain open if they want to talk about it but not to press the issue beyond that.

cabovacation

The Tenth Good Thing About Barney is great. We actually kind of did the same thing about my dad when he died. We sat around after the funeral and each told one special thing or memory. There are a lot of kids, so it was pretty cool.

Sorry about your pet.

jwall179

Ditto The Tenth Good thing about Barney.

sarge56

Thanks, all. I'm off to look at The Tenth Good Thing About Barney. Sounds perfect.

The other suggestions sound good, too. I do have the "cat heaven" book, as my sister gave it to me when the first of my 2 17-yr-olds kitties passed on a couple years ago. I may pick up the dog heaven book, too.

Thanks again.